Chapter 5
Zoya saw Asad just glare at her and walk inside. Ya Allah, of course he heard everything, her luck wouldn't have it any other way, would it? She sulked as she looked at Najma. "Tume unke paas jaana chahiye," she said. "What? Are you crazy Tamatar? He will eat me alive," Zoya said scared. "Zoya, aisa kuch nahi hoga. Tum jao aur baat karo," Najma encouraged. Zoya nodded unsurely and followed him. Asad strode into the room and threw his office bag on the bed. He then ripped his jacket off and threw it to the ground. He couldn't believe it! How dare she? How dare she discuss their marriage with his sister? How could she say such things about him? His hands undid the tie and he opened the buttons to his shirt, panting. Why was he so angry that she had complained to Najma? Or was he angry that she felt caged in this marriage. But, wasn't that the truth? She had only agreed to this wedding because her parents and his mother had forced her into it. She was just speaking the truth then why did he get so furious? Even if it was the truth, she had no right to speak to Najma about it. Then who else should she be speaking to. Obviously she wasn't going to tell him what she felt. And telling Ammi would be a bad idea. Najma was her best friend, but she was also his sister, he reasoned. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and he saw her walk in. Zoya halted when she saw his shirt open, giving her the view of his perfect sculpted body. It wasn't like she has never seen his bare body before. There have been numerous times when she had walked into his room and caught him with his shirt off. But, she also recalled all those times when he had called her batameez and that she should learn to knock on the door. And, today she had walked in again...without seeking permission. Zoya turned to leave but stopped. But, now this room was hers too. She turned back to see him glaring at her. Oh yeah, she was here to apologize, she told herself. "Mr. Khan," Zoya started when he interrupted her. "Mujhe kohi baat nahi karni hai! I am tired, just leave me alone," he firmly stated. "But Mr. Khan, meri baat toh suniye," Zoya requested. Asad took two big steps and caught her by the shoulders. Zoya winced at the contact but he was too angry to care. The force from Asad caused Zoya to move back and push the door shut. "Tum samaj thi kya ho apne aap koh huh? Tum kuch bhi bol sakthi ho? Kabhi soocha hai keh tumari baaton se kissi aur koh kitni takleef hosakthi hai," he spoke through gritted teeth. "Mr. Khan, I was just joking," she croaked. His hold on her arms was getting tighter and it was hurting her. "Joke? Tumare liye har baat mazak kyun hoti hai. Tumare liye toh yeh nikkah bhi mazak hoga na, all fun and games," Asad yelled. Zoya closed her eyes as she tried to wiggle out of his arms. "Mujhe dard horaha hai," she cried out. Asad moved closer as he felt fury swallow him, "If it makes you feel any better then yeh jaan lo keh mere liye bhi yeh rishta kohi mayine (importance) nahi rakta. Tum jitna iss rishte mein band mehsoos karti ho, main bhi wohi mehsoos karta hoon," he told her. His voice was low but filled with so much hatred that it sent a shiver down Zoya's spine. He let her go with a jerk causing her to stumble back a few steps hitting the door.
Zoya saw him walk off to the bathroom. She slumped against the door and fell to the ground as tears rolled down her cheeks. So, he felt caged in this marriage. He didn't even want it, and here she was hoping that she could make this relationship work. Allah, main kya karoon? Mujhe laaga keh kabhi na kabhi Mr. Khan mujhe...nahi, aisa nahi hosaktha. Main hi stupid thi joh sooch liya keh aisa ek rishta joh majboori se jhuda aur nafrat se bara hai woh khayam hosaktha hai. Aise rishte toh kabhi mukamal nahi hote! Her thoughts just bought more tears, more painful drops of pearl to spill from her beautiful eyes. Zoya didn't know how long she sat on the floor, crying. She hoped that as if she cried long away, may be the stabbing pain in her chest would go away. But, nothing of that sort happened. She heard the door creaking open from the bathroom. Zoya gathered herself, wiped her tears, and ran out of the room. She was glad that no one was in the living room. Zoya leaned against the closer bedroom door and tried to breathe. She had to compose herself. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. She had to put on her act! Zoya, she heard someone call her name. She opened her and straightened herself to see Tanveer walking up to her. "Zoya, kya hua? Aap theek hai?" she asked, acting concerned. "Haan Tanveer, mujhe kya hosaktha hai. Main bilkul theek hoon," Zoya chirped, to cover up her cracking voice. Before Tanveer could say anything more, "Main jaake dekhti hoon keh Ammi koh madad toh nahi chahiye," Zoya said and hurried out of there. Tanveer was suspicious for a minute but then went to the kitchen too. Zoya actually went to the guest room across the hall first. She knew that if she walked into the kitchen like this then Dilshad would be worried. Zoya sneaked into the room and washed her face, to reduce the redness and puffiness of her eyes. After a few minutes, Zoya joined the other ladies in the kitchen. Najma looked at her and motioned her asking if all was ok. Zoya just silently nodded with a smile on her lips. Soon, dinner was served and Asad joined them for dinner. He hadn't as much as thrown a glance at her. After his cold shower, his anger has melted and he had actually felt bad for yelling at her. He didn't know what had taken over him when he heard her complaining about their marriage. He assumed that it was one thing to believe that someone had certain feeling towards you, but very different when you heard those feelings declared to you. He didn't have the courage to look at her. Can you imagine, Asad Ahmed Khan was scared to look into a girl's eyes and may be apologize for his behavior? Zoya just started at him but he hadn't looked up from her plate. Of course, he hadn't! He probably didn't even want her here, she presumed. Zoya took the glass of water and gulped it down. She stood up from the table and everyone looked at her. "Ammi, I have a really bad headache, kya main apne room mein jao?" she asked. "Of course beta! Lekin tum theek toh ho?" dilshad asked concerned. "Jee Ammi, bas thodi dher soh jaongi toh I am sure I will be fine," Zoya replied. "Theek hai, tum jao aur aaram karo," Dilshad said. Zoya walked around the table to give Najma a hug. "Are you ok?" Najma whispered in her ears. "I am fine Tamatar, you take care ok," Zoya said, cupping Najma's cheek for a moment and left from there.
Few hours later, Asad walked into the room to see her sleeping on the couch. He felt his heart break. He shouldn't have done that. He will apologize to her, he thought. But, she was sleeping. He went back into the kitchen and a bought a glass of juice and some cookies in a plate. Placing it on the side table next to the sofa, Asad went to bed. Laying in bed, his thought kept wandering back to her. Why was he so affected by her? She was someone who had entered his life without his permission? And now was his wife because of his mother's wishes. He hated her! She made him question his way of life. She made him wonder if his behavior was odd? She made him question himself and he didn't like that! He was used to living life on his own terms, without any interjections. But, ever since she had come, that hasn't been possible. Watching her, he soon fell asleep. In the middle of the night, Zoya woke up with a grumbling stomach. "Iss Mr. Khan keh chakkar mein, maine khana bhi theek se nahi khaya. Aur aabh bhook lagrahi hai," she thought, rubbing her stomach. She got off the sofa to get something from the kitchen when she saw the plate of biscuits and the juice. A smile spread on her lips. "Wow! Ammi ne mere liye snack choda hai, how sweet," she thought. Zoya sat back down and quickly ate. After finishing the food, she lay back in the bed. Her eyes drifted towards him. She could see his face in the moonlight that was creeping into through the windows. "I can't believe that Mr. Khan ne itni asaani se mere baare mein judgement banali. But yeh kohi nayi baat toh nahi haina. Yeh Mr. Khan ki purani aadat hai toh phir mujhe aaj itna bura kyun lagraha hai," she wondered. Zoya felt her eyes fill up. "Nahi...main rohungi nahi. Mr. Khan toh hamesha se akdu the aur akdu hai bhi. Unki wajase main kyun upset horahi hoon. Main na unse baat hi nahi karongi," she decided as she turned away from him and tried to fall back asleep.
The next day, Najma had asked Zoya to join her for shopping. As they were wandering through the mall, "Zoya, tum bhi kuch ley lo na. I mean tumari bhi toh nayi shaadi huwi hai," Najma said. "Nahi Najma, mujhe kuch nahi chahiye," Zoya replied. "Bhabhijaan, kya hua hai? Kal se aap upset lagrahi hai. Kya bhai keh saath kohi jagda hua?" Najma said worried. "Aisa kuch nahi hai Najma, bas thoda takaan hai. Chalo, hum jaldi se shopping khatam karke ghar chalte hai," Zoya said as they walked into a clotting store. Najma and Imran were leaving for their honeymoon the next day. Hence, Najma had wanted to pick up a few things she might need for the trip. She was bored to go alone so she called up Zoya. Zoya too was tired of sitting at home. She had seen few glimpses of Asad that morning but had stayed out of his way. She just told Dilshad she had some work and was in the kitchen when Asad had come for breakfast. Zoya and Najma were walking out of the mall when they bumped into Tanveer. "Tanveer...tum yaha?" Zoya said surprised. "Woh Khala ne kaha keh aap dono yaha hai toh main bhi aagayi. Ghar par kaam karte karte bahut bore hogayi thi. I hope you guys don't mind," she replied. Najma and Zoya looked at each other hesistantly. "Nahi, it's ok Tanveer," Najma said unsure. "Chalo," Tanveer said walking inside. "Lekin Tanveer humari shopping toh hogayi hai," Zoya told her. "What? Hum abhi aaye aur aap logo ne shopping bhi karli," Tanveer said sad. "Next time Tanveer, lets go now, it is getting late," Zoya said. "Oh come on Zoya, tum kabh se yeh sabh soochne lagi," Tanveer teased. Zoya recalled how Asad had been upset with her for coming late just few days after she had arrived in Bhopal.
It was the first day of college and Zoya had been really excited to meet all the new students. Thanks to her joyful behavior, she had already made many new friends. After class was done for the day, some of her friends invited her to join them for dinner. Zoya had tried to refuse recalling how sternly Mr. Asad Ahmed Khan had told her that she had to come home before 7PM. "7PM? Like seriously? You have a curfew?" she yelled. "Ms. Farooqui, chilane ki zaroorat nahi hai. Najma bhi har din issi time tak ghar aajati hai," he firmly stated. "Aur aapko lagtha hai keh yeh sahi hai? Main bacchi nahi hoon Mr. Khan, main apna khayal rak sakthi hoon," Zoya had said. "Ms. Farooqui, aap iss ghar mein rehte hai toh accha yehi hoga keh aap iss ghar keh rules follow kare," Asad said with a stern look and left from there. "Akdu!" she mumbled. "Hello Zoya...kya hua? Chalo na yaar!" her friend, Megha said. "Par yaar, please zyada late mat karna, mujhe ghar bhi jaana hoga," Zoya said. "Of course! I will drop you, come," Megha said. Zoya had a great time with her friends and had returned home only to find a grimacing Asad at the door. "Kaha thi aap?" he asked. "Hi to you too Mr. Khan," she retorted. As she started to walk away, "I asked you something Ms. Farooqui," he repeated. "Dekhiye Mr. Khan, mujhe kuch kaam tha. Toh main apne friends keh saath gayi thi," she told him. "Maine aapse subhe...," he started when Zoya interrupted. "Please Mr. Khan, aap phir se mat shuru hojayiye. I seriously think that you wanted to be a news anchor but couldn't so aap ek hi news koh baar baar bolte rehte hai," she said, sarcasm evident in her voice. "Mr. Farooqui...aap batameezi karahe hai," he yelled. "Toh aap bhi...," she said. "Asad...Zoya?" Dilshad's voice interwined. "Kya horaha hai yeh? Asad kohi aise baat karta hai?" Dilshad questioned her son. "Ammi, aap inne baata dijiye keh iss ghar mein rehna hai toh yaha keh taur tareeke seekle," Asad stated. "Hua kya?" she asked. "Phuphi, main baata thi hoon. Main bas thoda late hogayi aur Mr. Khan," Zoya said upset. "Asad, yeh kohi tareeka nahi hai," Dilshad scolded. "Par Ammi," Asad said when she just glared at him. "Tum jao aur change karlo, main Najma se bolti hoon keh tumare liye dinner garam karde," Dilshad said turning towards Zoya. "Jee Phuphi. But, I don't need food, maine already khana khaliya hai," she said with a smile and left. "Asad, tum kyun uske peeche paade ho. Bichari abhi abhi aayi hai, usse yaha thode din rehne toh de," Dilshad said. "Woh bichari nahi hai Ammi," Asad replied as left as Dilshad just shook her head.
"Zoya, kya hua?" Tanveer asked breaking her thoughts. "Kuch nahi! Fine, chalo," she said and the ladies all went to a restaurant in the mall. After they finished eating, Tanveer suggested that she had to buy something. So, she took Najma and Zoya to a store. Zoya and Najma knew it was getting late and they tried to hurry things up but Tanveer took her own sweet time. "Zoya, mujhe jaana padega. Ghar par Ammi wait karahi hongi so Imran mujhe leyne aarahe hai, I am sorry," Najma apologized. "No Tamatar, tum kyun sorry bol rahi ho. Paata nahi Tanveer koh aisa kya chahiye that she is taking so much time. Tum jao, main jaanti hoon keh Haseena aunty kaisi hai," Zoya said. Najma quickly hugged Zoya and left from there. Zoya patiently waited for Tanveer to finish buying whatever she had to. But, now it was really getting late. Zoya walked up to Tanveer at the counter where she was arguing with the sales personnel. "Tanveer, can we go please? Bahut late horaha hai. Agar tume kuch mil nahi raha hai toh kal aajana ya kissi aur din," Zoya suggested. "But Zoya, this is important," Tanveer faked. "I understand Tanveer but we have to go. Agar tum nahi aarahi ho toh main abhi ghar jarahi hoon," Zoya said, putting her foot down. "Ok ok...please don't be mad," Tanveer said, acting to be hurt. "Chalo, main kabhi aur aajaungi," Tanveer said as she took her bag and walked out of there. "Ajeeb ladki hai! Itna time waste kiya aur phir kuch liya bhi nahi," Zoya thought as she followed Tanveer.
At the Khan mansion, Asad was roaming the living room like an injured lion. Where was she? He has been calling her for the past hour and her phone kept going to voicemail. "Asad...shant hojao. Shayad kuch problem hogayi ho, Zoya aati hi hogi," Dilshad tried to comfort her son. "Aapko Ms. Farooqui koh Najma keh saath jaane hi nahi dehna chahiye tha Ammi, you know how she is," Asad said. "Zoya ek bahut zimedaar ladki hai, mujhe yakeen hai keh woh aajayegi. Aur waise bhi tum aaj bhi usse Ms. Farooqui kyun bhulate ho," Dilshad wondered. Before Asad could reply, the door opened and Asad saw Zoya and Tanveer step in. "Kaha the tum dono? Itni dher hogayi!" he yelled walking towards them. Zoya sighed. She knew this was going to happen. "Woh Mr. Khan...," Zoya started when Tanveer quickly interjected, "Woh kaha haina Jammy, Zoya koh kuch leyna tha toh hum wahi doond rahe the. Aur iss chakar mein late hogaya," she said. Zoya looked at her shocked. Why was Tanveer lying? And putting the blame on her? "Nahi Mr. Khan, main toh," Zoya tried to explained. "Najma kaha hai?" he asked. "Woh Imran keh saath ghar chali gayi Jammy," Tanveer replied. Zoya could feel the energy around him turning sour. "Tanu, yeh toh irrpesonsible hai lekin tume toh hume baatana chahiye tha. Main kabh se phone karaha tha. Aur Ammi, aapne mujhe bola nahi keh Tanveer bhi gayi hai saath," Asad said. "Mujhe toh maloom nahi tha," Dilshad said confused. "Woh main bore horahi thi toh aisi hi chali gayi," Tanveer replied. "Mr. Khan...meri baat..," Zoya tried to speak. "Mujhe kuch nahi sunna hai. maine bahut sun liya hai," Asad told her angrily. "Asad, jaane doh. Tum dono fresh hojao. Khana khaogi?" Dilshad said trying to change the topic. "Humne khali hai khala," Tanveer said. Dilshad just nodded and left. Asad just looked at Zoya furiously and then left. "Tanveer, tumne jhoot kyun bola. Tum rukna chathi thi na," Zoya asked. "I am sorry Zoya, woh Jammy koh itne gusse mein dekhar main dargayi thi," Tanveer said sadly. "Lekin, aabh Mr. Khan mujhse naraaz hai. And, I didn't even do anything," Zoya said frustrated. "Zoya, Jammy toh hamesha tumse naraaz hote hai aur phir theek bhi hojate hai. But, woh mujhse kabhi naraaz nahi hai, hum bachpan keh dost joh hai," Tanveer explained proudly. Zoya just looked at her hurt. "Sahi hi toh bol rahi hai Tanveer! Mr. Khan ka mujhse gussa hona toh unki favorite hobby hai. Kohi faida nahi hai unse kuch bhi bolkar, no matter what I say, I am always going to be wrong," she told herself and left from there. Tanveer smiled, this is exactly what she had hoped for.
That night, Zoya again slept on the couch and Asad on the bed. Neither spoke a work to each other. The next morning, they were all driving to the airport to meet Najma and Imran before they left for their honeymoon. Asad and Zoya sat in the front whereas Tanveer and Dilshad were in the rear passenger seats. Zoya looked out the windows, admiring the beautiful sky. She didn't want to see him. Each time, she had tried to explain anything to him, he just rudely dismissed it. She didn't want to explain anything anymore. But, this relationship, she thought sadly. Just then, they reached their destination. As the family walked towards Najma, Imran, and his parents, Najma walked upto Asad and hugged him. "Apna khayal rakna Tamatar, ok?" he said placing a kiss on her head. "Jee Bhaijaan," Najma said. She then hugged Tanveer and Dilshad and they left to meet Imran and his parents. "Take care Najma, and enjoy!" Zoya teased. Najma turned red while a yawn escaped her lips. "Tired?" Zoya asked. "Ha Zoya, kal raat late hogaya na. Mall se ghar jaakar phir packing bhi ki so," Najma replied. "Hume toh aur bhi late hogaya tha, Mr. Khan bahut gussa hogaye," Zoya told her. "I can understand. Par woh gussa Tanveer pe huwe honge na, after all wohi toh itna time laaga rahi thi," Najma asked. "Nahi yaar, usne saara blame mujhpar dal diya. And Mr. Khan mujhpar chilane laage, woh toh Ammi ne bacha liya," Zoya said upset. "What? She blamed you?" Najma said shocked. "Haan, aur tumare Bhaijaan ne mujhe kuch bolne bhi nahi diya. Unn kehliye toh unki Tanu hamesha sahi hai," Zoya said, micmicking Tanveer's voice. "I am sorry," Najma said. Zoya smiled, "Don't worry Tamatar, its fine. Mujhe toh aadat se hogayi hai," she said. Najma pulled Zoya in a hug again. She actually felt bad for this girl. Knowing Zoya, Najma has seen many instances where she had put herself in danger to save the people she loved. But somewhere, she always fell in trouble. If Zoya and her Bhaijaan keep fighting like this, then what will happen to their marriage, she wondered.
Later, Najma and Imran left and the family returned home. Asad tried to talk to Zoya but she completely ignored him. "Samaj the kya hai apne aap koh? Keh kuch bhi bol denge aur phir ek baat se sabh theek hojayega," she thought to herself. Asad knew that he was wrong. He shouldn't have just judged her like that. But, she knew he was impulsive then why couldn't she understand. Did you try to understand? Then why do you expect her to? His head retorted. Fine, I will apologize, he decided. Each time, he tried to talk to her, she would either say she had something to do and lave or someone would interrupt them. Most times, that someone was Tanveer. A week passed and Dilshad had started to notice the behavior between her son and daughter in law. She knew that something was wrong though they didn't want to admit it. Dilshad wanted to do something, if she had pushed her son into this marriage then she would make sure that her son and Zoya were happy in this marriage. One afternoon, Dilshad told Zoya that she was visitng some relatives out of the city. On the pretense of taking someone along, she took Tanveer with her. Zoya was nervous! "Allah miyan, Mr. Khan kohi dher mein aajayenge. Aur Ammi abhi tak nahi aayi. Paata nahi kaha reha gayi, phone bhi nahi lagraha hai," she wondered. Just then, the phone rang, "Hello," Zoya answered. "Zoya beta," she heard her Ammi on the other end. "Ammi, kaha hai aap? Main kabh se aapko phone karahi thi," Zoya said worried. "Woh beta, yaha reception ki problem. Maine tume yeh baatane kehliye phone kiya hai keh main aur Tanveer raat koh yehi rukne wale hai," Dilshad said. "What? Par kyun?" Zoya said shocked. Dilshad smiled, she knew this was going to be the reaction. "Mujhe yaha kuch kaam hai beta, joh kal subhe hi hosaktha hai issliye," she explained. "Main aur Mr. Khan...akele...great," Zoya mumbled to herself. "Zoya? Tumne kuch kaha?" Dilshad asked. "Nahi Ammi, apna khayal rakiye," Zoya replied. "Tum bhi khayal rakna, Allah-hafiz," Dilshad said and ended the call.
When Asad returned from work that night, he saw pizza, salad, and juice on the dining table. He looked up at her, "Ammi rishtedaar keh yaha gayi hai. Sorry, mujhe kuch banana nahi aata toh maine yeh order kiya," she said guiltily. "It's ok! Main khalunga," he said as he picked up a slice of pizza from the table. Zoya looked at him stunned, "Aap...aap yeh khalenge?" she asked unsure. "Yeah," he shrugged. "Lekin, mujhe laaga keh aapko yeh sabh pasand nahi hai," Zoya said. "Pasand hai, lekin har din khana nahi. Sometimes, its fine," he told her. "Oh," Zoya said as she took a seat. As she was chewing her favorite pizza, he called her name. She stopped and looked up at him. "Woh actually...woh...I wanted to say sorry," Asad said hesitantly. Zoya, who was still chewing her morsel started to choke. Asad quickly stood up from his chair and patted her back, offering her water. Zoya took a few sips of the water and calmed down. "Aap mujhe sorry bol rahe hai?" she asked. "I know keh maine uss din tumari kohi baat sune bina woh sabh bol diya. Maine phir tumari aur Najma ki baatein airport par sunli thi," Asad confessed. "That wasn't good Mr. Khan, aise kaise kissi ki bhi baat sunliya aapne," Zoya scolded. "Well uss baat mein mera bhi naam shamil tha toh why not," he countered. Zoya didn't have an answer to that. "Joh bhi hai, I am sorry. Mujhe aisa nahi karna chathi tha," Asad said. Zoya couldn't believe that he was saying sorry to her. Was this really happening? "It's fine Mr. Khan. Waise bhi, bina puri baat sune cheezae assume karna aapki aadat hai," Zoya stated sadly. "I am apologizing Zoya," Asad reminded. "Yes, I am sorry," Zoya told him smilingly. They were both quiet for a moment. "Mr. Khan, ek baat bol sakthi hoon?" she questioned. Asad nodded telling her to proceed. "Mr. Khan, uss din aapne joh bhi suna woh sahi nahi tha. Main aur Najma Haseena aunty keh baare mein baat karahe the aur maine maazak mein bol diya. Par Mr. Khan, joh bhi baat ho, main chathi hoon keh hum dono uss baare mein baat kare. I don't want either of us to assume things," Zoya said, and Asad looked at her shocked. This was the first time he has heard her speak something so sensible. Or may be he was just paying attention now? "Aur Mr. Khan, yeh shaadi mere liye mayine rakthi hai. Mere liye mera har ek rishta important hai, aur shaadi ek zindagi bhar ka promise hai. And I want to try to make it work," Zoya told him honestly. Asad just looked at her, surprised at her words and Zoya waited expectantly.
So what will Asad say? Is this a step forward towards something new? What will happen? Keep reading to find out!
As always thank you for the wonderful feedback. I am going to be busy for the next few weeks so I will try to update at least once a week. And if I can't, phele se maafi maang rahi hoon. Looking forward to your comments on this one. 😃
Edited by asyasahil928 - 10 years ago
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